


When Mark Met Angel

by transmarkcohen



Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: F/M, M/M, Trans, Trans Mark Cohen, angel knows he's in love with her, collins dies in the first chapter sorry, mark is awkward
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:20:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen
Summary: Mark is in love with Angel. Has been since the first moment he met her. She's the one who helped him get over Maureen. But Angel and Collins are happy with each other, so Mark will be alone.
Relationships: Mark Cohen/Angel Dumott Schunard, Thomas B. Collins/Angel Dumott Schunard
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	When Mark Met Angel

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anothergayrentfan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/gifts).



Angel held Collins' hand tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Shh. It will all be over soon," she told him, kissing his forehead. Collins nodded weakly. He was dying, everyone knew that. He lay in this hospital bed, sick and hooked up to all these tubes, and in so much pain. Angel couldn't bear to watch it. She loved him. She may not have known a lot - why her life was like this, what her gender was, what was in store for Collins next. But she knew she loved him more than anything.  
Their friends were in the room too. Roger and Mimi hugged each other tightly. Mark, previously occupied with his camera, gazed at Collins with concern. Maureen and Joanne whispered quietly among themselves. Angel smiled a little. This group had accepted her, and they'd become her family - this past year had been so intense she didn't know how to describe it. She kissed Collins again, this time on the lips, and he took his last breath.   
Everyone froze as the heart monitor flatlined. They'd known it was coming. But none of them could have prepared, truly, for this. Angel hung her head. She'd just lost the love of her life forever. He was never going to come back.   
She felt arms wrap around her. Looking up, she saw Mimi giving her the saddest smile she'd seen from her best friend in years. Angel smiled back, and hugged Mimi back. The last time she'd seen that sad smile...oh, God. It was when Mimi became HIV positive. The news itself was bad enough. But the way Mimi had become HIV positive...  
"Oh, God," Roger said. Angel barely heard him, focused on hugging Mimi. The whole world was spinning. Roger kept talking. "Mark, Mark, oh, God. Collins is dead."   
Mark said something else but Angel couldn't hear it. As tears poured down her face she felt a sob escape her mouth, and she knew nothing would ever be the same. 

At Collins' funeral Angel sat at the front. It made sense to everyone, she'd been his partner. She didn't say very much when it was her turn to speak, but she knew in her heart she would have sang a song with all her feelings about Collins. Looking at his casket just made everything worse - it felt as if her heart would break open and all her emotions would fly out.   
When she stepped down from the podium, Mark hugged her. She hugged back tightly. A little more tightly than a friendly hug, like she always did. She knew he was in love with her, and that that wasn't ever going to change. She wondered if she and Mark could have a relationship in the future. Possibly. Collins would want her to move on, to be happy. But not now. She was still grieving him.   
Angel let go of Mark, whose face flushed, (though he was quick to cover it up) and sat back down next to Mimi in the front. Mimi gave Angel's hand a reassuring squeeze as Mark got up to talk about one of his best friends.  


Mark's thoughts at the podium were going a mile a minute. It felt unfair to be in love with Angel when Collins was dead. But the truth was, as soon as Angel had set foot in the loft, he'd gotten completely over Maureen. If Roger were to tease him in that moment he would've said "Who's Maureen?" He'd fallen instantly head over heels.   
But Angel and Collins were so perfect together. Mark couldn't compete with that. And it would be unfair to his friend. So he silently pined for Angel, knowing he could never have her. Her slightly-longer-than-normal hugs always killed him.   
But they had no future together.   
  


Angel wondered, as she watched Mark talk about her boyfriend, if they would ever have a future together. 


End file.
